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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has slammed Russia's poor record on aviation safety and demanded a thorough probe into a plane crash that killed at least 43 people,juicy couture outlet including the star-studded international lineup of a top hockey team. Medvedev visited the crash site of the Yak-42 passenger plane that went down at takeoff near the city of Yaroslavl, some 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow, on August 7. Two survivors were said to be in critical condition, with extensive burns and other injuries. Reports suggested that Russian player Aleksandr Galimov was battling for his life, along with another survivor, crew member Aleksandr Sizov. Authorities in Yaroslavl have declared three days of mourning for the crash victims. "This is a shock to the whole country, as is usually the case with such catastrophes," Medvedev said, "but there is also an additional point -- on board the plane was a team that was beloved not only in Yaroslavl but across the country, one of the best, most successful clubs in our country. This is a great loss not only for all the families, but for the entire state and for all fans." Medvedev also called for a sharp reduction in the number of domestic air companies, adding that if the country could not produce reliable aircraft it would have to buy foreign-made planes. "We cannot go on like that," Medvedev told officials at the scene, including the ministers of Transport and of Emergency Situations, Igor Levitin and Sergei Shoigu. "We need to create modern companies that will cover all of Russia." With 121 people dead in seven crashes, Russia has become the most dangerous country for air travel this year. The plane was carrying the entire contingent of players and coaches for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a three-time champion of Russia's top ice-hockey division, the Kontinental Hockey League, , which groups 20 Russian teams and four from Belarus (Dinamo Minsk), Kazakhstan (Barys Astana), Latvia (Dinamo Riga), and Slovakia (Lev Poprad). Medvedev had been due to address a political conference in Yaroslavl, at Lokomotiv's hockey arena, which has now become the sight of a candlelight memorial to the victims of the tragedy. The crash took place in what were said to be clear weather conditions, and marks the second major air disaster in Russia this year, casts another shadow on Russia's dubious air-safety record.
